Heart to Heart: Episode 9

by LollyPip

There it is again, that look of love in a boy’s eyes… let’s just hope he realizes it in time. This is a difficult episode, as we get to the point in our story when the characters have to make some hard decisions and some even harder internal changes. Things are getting to the boiling point between Doo-soo and Yi-seok, and only Hong-do has the power to break up their standoff, if she can wake up and realize that she’s worth fighting for.

EPISODE 9 RECAP

Yi-seok uses makeup to carefully accentuate the worst facial qualities on four random people… hey, isn’t that Oh Jung-se?? HAHAHA, it is, and he’s getting the worst of the “makeovers.”

We go back to the evening that Hong-do went to the hospital to surprise Yi-seok with snacks for his all-nighter, but she’s shocked to find him in the middle of a long embrace with his ex-girlfriend Yeon-woo. Luckily Doo-soo arrives, and he throws Yi-seok a glare of anger, lifts a limp Hong-do off the floor, and leads her out.

Hong-do stops on the steps and asks Doo-soo why he’s here, and he says he was coming to see Yi-seok but now it’s not necessary. Hong-do wants to go back in and help Yi-seok with what must have been a patient, but Doo-soo stops her.

They argue over the meaning of the hug, but are interrupted as Yi-seok and Yeon-woo head outside. Only now does Hong-do see who Yi-seok was hugging, recognizing her from the morning after she and Yi-seok slept together, and she lets Doo-soo bundle her into his car.

She yells at Yi-seok for hugging his ex, and he takes offense that she’s jumping to conclusions that he’s done something wrong without even asking. Hurt and angry that she assumes the worst about him, he says that she was only going to last three months anyway, and he ends things between them.

Yi-seok takes Yeon-woo for cake, where she stuffs her face and gets chocolate all over herself. She says that the crying in his office was just a joke since she hadn’t seen him in a while and is nervous about her upcoming wedding, and doesn’t seem to care that she sparked a giant fight between the three other people who were there. Something seems off with this girl.

She asks if Yi-seok has missed her, disappointed when he says he has enough on his plate making his own girl happy to even think about Yeon-woo. Yi-seok notes her nervous body language, but she plays it off like she’s just looking for a little fun before she marries and has to settle down.

Doo-soo drives Hong-do home and mentions her new helmet, and points out his injured hand to her. He tells her that, as the eldest son, he was always pampered and coddled as a child. He found it burdensome then, but seems wistful that he can’t tell his family when he’s hurt on the job.

For some reason, Yeon-woo talks Yi-seok into going bed shopping for her wedding. She reveals that she’s wondered what it would be like marrying Yi-seok, or even random men she sees on the street, and he tells her it’s just normal cold feet. Yeon-woo says that she doesn’t love her fiance, and asks Yi-seok to hold onto her, which sounds like she’s begging him not to let her get married.

Doo-soo takes Hong-do to his friend’s restaurant, but she’s too distracted hoping Yi-seok will call to enjoy her food. Doo-soo asks if Yi-seok is the first man she’s dated, and expresses concern that she could get hurt. She seems to be able to speak to him much easier now and tells him she’s not that innocent, but Doo-soo insists that Yi-seok is just playing with her and doesn’t care about her.

Hong-do says sadly that she knows she’s not good enough for Yi-seok, but Doo-soo tells her that what Yi-seok did with his ex wasn’t because of any lack in Hong-do. She just says forlornly that she wants to go home.

Yi-seok tries to call Hong-do, and he sets his phone down without disconnecting the call when Se-ro comes to talk to him. She’s thrilled that her oppa knows Doo-soo, though Yi-seok tells her not to have anything to do with him. Se-ro notices lipstick on Yi-seok’s collar, which of course Hong-do hears since she’s listening on her end of the line.

Yi-seok makes it worse by wondering out loud if that happened while he and Yeon-woo were on the bed, which sounds terrible out of context, and it sounds even worse when Se-ro takes him to task for dating so many women. Yi-seok realizes the call connected and gripes at Hong-do for leaving with Doo-soo, but she points out that he was the one who ended things.

Yi-seok knows Hong-do heard everything about the lipstick and the bed, seeming disappointed at her bland reaction. That does rile Hong-do up, and for once she hangs up on Yi-seok first, leaving him confused as to why she’s the angry one. Really, you got caught hugging your ex and broke up with Hong-do, and you can’t figure it out?

Doo-soo drinks with his restaurant owner friend, who says that from his observation, Hong-do isn’t interested in him. Doo-soo says that he did something wrong but that he thinks there’s nothing else he can do. His friend advises him to do something, and stop being so nice all the time.

Hong-do wraps up a work day at the Go home, and the housekeeper corners her to tell Hong-do to be more careful or Chairman Go could misunderstand. Hong-do has no clue what she’s talking about, and the housekeeper says that it looks like she’s trying to seduce the chairman. This horrifies Hong-do and she promises to be more careful.

Hong-do is shocked to see Doo-soo waiting to give her a ride home, and tries to pull him away before Yi-seok sees him, but she’s not fast enough. She resorts to hiding behind him as Yi-seok barks in Doo-soo’s face, asking if he’s related to this woman too and if dragging women away from him is Doo-soo’s hobby. Doo-soo counters that making women cry must be Yi-seok’s hobby, but Hong-do manages to pull Doo-soo away before things come to blows.

On the ride home, Doo-soo admits that he has no right, but tells Hong-do that he hates that she’s so involved in Yi-seok’s life in so many areas. Hong-do only says that she just realized that she’s been lying to Yi-seok and his family a lot, and she feels badly about it. She apologizes to Doo-soo also, but he promises not to fuss at her anymore.

Yi-seok takes his concerns about Yeon-woo’s pre-wedding behavior to Dr. Uhm, complaining that she asked him to treat her for her extreme anxiety, but he’s still pretty puffed up that she’s pursuing him when she’s about to marry a rich guy. Dr. Uhm tells him to send Yeon-woo to her since he’s too involved to treat her.

She suddenly realizes that Yi-seok was able to discuss treatment with Yeon-woo without Hong-do there, and without his strange symptoms appearing. Yi-seok is surprised himself at that, and Dr. Uhm wonders if it’s that he doesn’t consider Yeon-woo a patient.

Detective Yang pesters Doo-soo for his attention, then admits that he used his photo in an online chat with a girl the night before, to get her to agree to bring her friend on a double date. He begs Doo-soo to go on the date with him, and poor Doo-soo literally headdesks.

Yi-seok arrives at work to find Hong-do there already, and they shoot each other wary looks. He’s on the phone with Yeon-woo agreeing to be her counselor (well, I guess that line has already been crossed, why not cross it again?) and drops enough hints so that Hong-do knows it’s his ex-girlfriend on the line.

He invites Hong-do to come to his desk for her counseling session where he grudgingly commends her on going to a public restaurant, even if it was with Doo-soo. Hong-do confirms that the girl he was hugging last night was the same one who caught them in bed together, and he defends that only he can treat her since she’s a famous news anchor.

He tells Hong-do to leave when Yeon-woo arrives, but she points out that he needs her there when he sees patients. Yi-seok changes the subject and takes Hong-do to the supermarket, telling her to go to the sample tables and try everything. She says it’s not easy for her and that just being here is difficult, and changes the subject again to ask why a pretty, smart, famous woman needs counseling.

Yi-seok arrogantly (but correctly) assumes that she’s really asking why he would date her when he could have such a perfect woman. He tells Hong-do that to date him, she has to be confident and do things like he’s asking her to do here at the store. He demonstrates by getting a sample himself (hi again, Oh Jung-se!), and waves at Hong-do to go next.

Yi-seok watches as Hong-do gathers her courage, but just as she steps out towards the samples, he gets a frantic call from Yeon-woo. He calls Hong-do and tells her to get herself home, and just leaves her there. Suddenly a sale is announced, and Hong-do is caught in the stampede of shoppers. She breaks free and runs blindly, terrified.

Yi-seok finds Yeon-woo in a panicked state, and she crouches in the floorboard of his car, disheveled and frightened. She even takes his phone when it rings, and takes the battery out so that he can’t talk to anyone.

Hong-do hides from everyone she sees, getting deeper into the store’s back rooms until she finds herself locked in a storage area. Yi-seok doesn’t answer when she calls him, and she’s forced to call Doo-soo for help.

At his apartment, Yi-seok watches tonight’s news and sees Yeon-woo have a psychotic break on air. She reads the news incorrectly and gets more and more agitated. She starts laughing hysterically, pulls a huge loaf of bread from the back of her jacket, and rips into it right there on live television. This is very bad.

Yeon-woo tells Yi-seok that she has no memory of any of this, and he advises her to just rest for now. She blames him for all this, saying that she only found another man and got engaged to get his attention.

She confesses that a friend of hers saw her fiance come out of a hotel with a woman, and that he didn’t even deny it when she confronted him. Yi-seok tells her to break off the engagement, but Yeon-woo feels trapped because her parents are so happy about her marrying a chaebol.

Doo-soo rushes to free Hong-do from the locked storage room, and they share another awkward car ride home. Hong-do defends Yi-seok and takes the blame for this too, for letting her fear get to her.

Doo-soo asks where Yi-seok is now, and zeroes in on Hong-do’s vague answer. She admits that she couldn’t ask him if he was going back to Yeon-woo, because she knows she doesn’t match well with him. Doo-soo tells her that she shouldn’t be comparing herself to others, and wonders why she’s gotten this way since meeting Yi-seok.

Yi-seok offers his place for Yeon-woo to sleep, and she grabs him and kisses him. He doesn’t push her away, but he doesn’t participate, either. She knows why and says Hong-do isn’t even his type, and he agrees. He says, almost to himself, that he couldn’t figure out why he cares for her when there was nothing about her he liked, but that it really is different when you truly like someone.

Yi-seok leaves Yeon-woo and calls Hong-do, who tries her hardest to ignore the phone but loses the battle. She fails to hide the quiver in her voice and Yi-seok notices it but brushes it aside, happy just to be talking to her. He tells her that he’s going to treat Yeon-woo, again missing the fact that this bothers Hong-do, and tells her he’s coming over to see her.

Trying not to cry, Hong-do says she’s sleepy, and Yi-seok laughs that she’s playing hard to get. It’s awful how blind he is to her devastation, too fixated on his own happy realization of his feelings.

Yi-seok goes home but he’s met in the driveway by Doo-soo, who doesn’t speak but punches him to the ground. He wails furiously on Yi-seok, punching and kicking his face and body. Aw no, this is what I was so afraid of…

To his credit Yi-seok fights back pretty well, though his version of fighting involves more flailing arms, spanking, and biting than is strictly masculine. It would almost be funny, if Doo-soo weren’t so hell-bent on doing serious damage. When the police arrive, Doo-soo uses his connections to convince the officers to let him handle this alone.

Looking like a pair of ruffled roosters, Doo-soo and Yi-seok end up drinking soju together, though neither of them looks any less angry. Doo-soo tells Yi-seok about Hong-do getting trapped in the storeroom, and tells him to just get lost.

Yi-seok pours Doo-soo a huge shot as a silent challenge, taken aback when Doo-soo downs it easily. Doo-soo asks why he wants Hong-do when he could have the pretty and smart Yeon-woo, and pours Yi-seok an even larger shot. Yi-seok drinks with difficulty, and squeaks that no matter what Doo-soo thinks, he chooses Hong-do.

Doo-soo gulps down an even bigger glass of soju, and tells Yi-seok that he won’t stand by and watch Hong-do get hurt. He yells that before that happens, he’ll put her back where she belongs. Yi-seok counters that he’s been working hard to get her out of that place, and takes offense that Doo-soo would lock her back up in her debilitating shyness again.

Doo-soo says that Yi-seok doesn’t understand — her place isn’t in a closet, nor is it beside Yi-seok, but by Doo-soo’s side. According to whom, exactly? He pours Yi-seok the biggest glass of soju ever in challenge, and Yi-seok is all, “Fine, let’s both die today.”

Oblivious to all the alpha-male posturing going on in her name, Hong-do talks to her grandmother’s photo and tells her that she’s going to stop posing as her. She feels sorry for lying to others to protect herself, but she’s distracted by Yi-seok’s book on her table. She asks his mangled picture if he’s playing with her, and sighs that she likes him anyway.

Doo-soo wakes up on the floor surrounded by empty bottles, looking (and probably feeling) like death warmed over. He’s horrified to realize that he’s actually in Yi-seok’s bedroom, and does a hilarious Walk of Shame out of the room.

He’s busted downstairs by Se-ro, who blocks his exit route and peppers him with questions. She tells him she’s been cast as a police officer for her newest role and asks if she can use the station to observe and practice. She’s blind to his attempts to brush her off and goes on about how compatible they are. She even sneaks a kiss on his cheek, to the housekeeper’s pearl-clutching horror.

Butler Ahn tells Chairman Go that he’s been invited to a colleague’s exclusive birthday party, which includes a concert, and that the invitation includes a “plus one.” The chairman grumbles that he’s not interested so Butler Ahn asks if he can have the tickets, and suddenly the chairman is all, “Those are my tickets!” Hee. Butler Ahn drops hints that the chairman should invite Madam Oh, giving him something to think about.

When Yi-seok wakes, the first thing he does is mope that Hong-do called Doo-soo for help instead of him. Well, she tried! He calls her to tell her he wants to talk, but she’s already in her Madam Oh makeup and declines, so he tells her to come to the clinic after work. After he hangs up, he belatedly realizes that she was crying when he talked to her the night before.

Yi-seok stumbles downstairs to steal food and talk with the housekeeper, who tells him that Se-ro must be dating Doo-soo since she was kissing him. She’s also upset that she’s not getting to go to the birthday concert, so Yi-seok offers to get her tickets, which sends her into a fury that it’s not about the tickets. I’ll just bet it’s not.

Yi-seok finds Yeon-woo still at his apartment, and she sighs that she can’t break off her engagement so easily, even knowing that it’s what she should do. She’s disappointed in herself to realize that she’s so materialistic, and Yi-seok tells her that she should just marry the guy then, and catch him cheating so she can make money in the divorce. Yi-seok tells her that whatever she decides, she should give it her best.

Yi-seok drives to the hospital and thinks on all of the key moments in his and Hong-do’s relationship. Seeing them all together, it’s interesting to watch his initial disgust turn to admiration for her strong will.

Hong-do goes the station to thank Doo-soo for helping her at the supermarket. He says it was comforting that she thought of him and he was happy he could still do something for her. He reminds her that she was faithful to him for seven years, and tells her the motto of their Violent Crimes Unit: “The tenacious detective wins.” He says that he’s very tenacious, and that his seven years starts now.

Yi-seok approaches some employees of the supermarket to ask for their help, and they readily agree (in return for a bonus, ha). These are the people he was tricking out in terrible makeup in the opening, and I can’t wait to see what he has planned.

Butler Ahn takes Chairman Go to Hong-do’s home, carrying a dress for the concert and intending to ask her to the party as the chairman’s date. The chairman hangs back out of nerves, but when Butler Ahn goes to the door, the chairman takes a call and learns that the friend throwing the party has died. Suddenly, he clutches his chest and collapses. Oh no.

Yi-seok is sporting a mischievous grin when Hong-do gets to work, but she’s not messing around and bluntly asks if he’s been playing with her. She asks if she was just a novelty after a string of perfect and beautiful girls, and wonders if seeing Yeon-woo again made him realize that Hong-do isn’t the one. I love his expression that says that this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Hong-do tearfully demands an answer but Yi-seok just says he’s taking her somewhere. Not to be sidetracked, she asks why he lied that he was counseling Yeon-woo when they both know he can’t see patients without Hong-do nearby. He says he only wanted to try it without her and promises he has no reason to lie, then admits with the sweetest smile that he couldn’t manage it without her.

He takes Hong-do back to the supermarket, swearing that he won’t leave her this time, and urges her towards the sample tables. When she gets there, she takes a dumpling but stares when she notices the face of the manager, who’s made up like an ajumma with rosy cheeks, and wearing a helmet. Awww.

Looking around, Hong-do realizes that all of the sample employees have on hideous makeup, with drawn-on moles and eyebrows, and every single one of them is flushed pink and wearing a helmet. They all smile widely as they hawk their samples, proving that it’s not what you look like, but who you are that matters.

Hong-do smiles back at Yi-seok, her expression asking silently if he’s responsible for this, and he nods. A very tall man with a child hanging on his leg walks past, smiling at everyone as they stare at him, and Yi-seok puts his arms up in an X — that one wasn’t his doing! But again it proves that it’s possible to walk proudly even if you’re different, and our differences make us beautiful.

COMMENTS

I’m not crying, honest I’m not. It’s just so moving to see Hong-do making such strides in her confidence — even if she backslides sometimes — because the change in her is incredible. Even small things that the show doesn’t explicitly point out, like how Hong-do is able to make eye contact with Doo-soo more and more as time goes on, show how she’s changing and growing, and it’s absolutely beautiful.

But, well, damn. Yi-seok had only barely gotten off my list for that stupid fire hoax, and now he’s right back on it. The guy is just way too self-centered, not that this is news, but this is the first time it really hurt Hong-do. Setting her up to do something terrifying then abandoning her is bad enough, but to abandon her for your ex? Not okay, dude. I do think that what he did for Hong-do at the end, by showing her that everyone has flaws and that you still have to live your life and just enjoy yourself and anyone who judges you can go hang, was pretty sweet. But I also think he’s lucky that Hong-do is such a forgiving woman.

(I will admit here that I’m purposely avoiding discussing the whole doctor/patient/relationship issue. I don’t know enough about Korean laws, and there are way too many blurred lines, and now Yi-seok’s doing it with two “patients.” So I’ll let you guys hash that out, since both sides are making excellent and very respectful arguments, and I’ll just address all of the many other issues the show is touching on. If the show makes an issue of it in the future, I may discuss it further then.)

But Yi-seok isn’t the only one I’m angry with right now. I’m not happy about this, because I was really, really hoping the show wouldn’t go there, but I’m pretty upset over Doo-soo’s behavior. I’ve pointed out red flags in the past regarding him, but I’m not at all pleased for my suspicions to have been proven right. But the facts are, not only did Doo-soo give in to his anger and make a pretty focused effort to seriously hurt Yi-seok, but to make things even worse, he then used his influence as a detective to get himself off the hook. That’s not the behavior of a good person or a decent man, and it’s definitely not being respectful of Hong-do’s feelings. Like it or not, Yi-seok is the man Hong-do is choosing for now, and she’s made that crystal-clear to Doo-soo. He’s even said he has no right to comment on her relationship, but then he goes right ahead and does it anyway. He promises her he won’t criticize her choice anymore, but in their very next conversation he does exactly that. Then, after she’s told him that she chooses to take the blame for the supermarket incident, Doo-soo goes and tries to beat the crap out of Yi-seok.

Don’t misunderstand, I’m in no way saying that Doo-soo shouldn’t be concerned about Hong-do and Yi-seok’s relationship. From his angle, he has every reason to be worried for her, because Yi-seok’s behavior isn’t great either (thought he’s improving). But the truth is, once Hong-do tells Doo-soo that she wants to date Yi-seok, he should respect her wishes and bow out gracefully, not continue to get in the middle and even tell her he’s planning to hang around her for seven more years. If he has concerns, he should discuss them with Hong-do, not go and beat the ever-loving crap out of the guy she cares about (twice!). He’s way out of line by claiming repeatedly that he’s the only one who knows what’s best for Hong-do, including Hong-do herself, and crossing into dangerous territory with his increasingly violent behavior.

The problem is that both men believe that they’re working in Hong-do’s best interests. Doo-soo by keeping her sheltered and protected, and Yi-seok by getting her to step out into the world and take her place in it. It’s Hong-do who has to make her choice, between men and in how she wants to live the rest of her life. And while neither option is perfect, I do think that one has the potential to be healing and healthy for her (if he can get his act fully together), while the other will only result in her stagnating and being miserable. Say what you want about his techniques, which I’ll agree need refining — but at least Yi-seok is helping Hong-do because he gets honest joy from seeing her gain independence and confidence, and that’s all I need to cheer him on.

 
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• Heart to Heart: Episode 5
• Heart to Heart: Episode 4
• Heart to Heart: Episode 3
• Heart to Heart: Episode 2
• Heart to Heart: Episode 1